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Bombers struggle to cope with ASADA probe

Ben McKay and Melissa Woods

As AFL Gillon McLachlan vents his frustration at his lack of involvement in ASADA negotiations, Essendon coach Mark Thompson has revealed some players are struggling to cope with being issued show-cause notices.

Saying players were going through a grief-like process, Thompson revealed the strain on many of his players as they continued to take the field despite their uncertain futures.

"It's an individual thing and some are coping better than others," Thompson said.

"You go through all different phases - it's like grieving.

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"At times you get angry ... you want to fight; you want to vent.

"Some guys have been there and come out of it and some players might still be in there."

Thompson said the club was dedicated to looking out for his players.

"You know your people ... if you see anything that's different, you go and address it."

"But it's hard for men to open up, isn't it?"

The 16-month ASADA investigation into Essendon's 2012 supplements regime has devolved into a series of negotiations and legal wrangling.

McLachlan told Fairfax Radio on Friday that while he had spoken to ASADA chief Ben McDevitt, he was not involved.

"There are discussions going on which we're not party to at the moment between ASADA and the players and their representatives," he said.

"This is the challenge ... with respect to the discussions with the players, the evidence against them on the basis of the show-cause notices, I have no visibility."

McLachlan said 50 leaked emails from February and March last year didn't contain any deals for players to avoid sanction.

With ASADA extending the players' response time to the notices to next month, unless a deal is brokered, the next movement is likely to come on June 27.

That's the date set down for the Federal Court to hear Essendon's legal argument of the legality of the ASADA investigation.

It could also force ASADA to hand over evidence briefs prepared for the players involved, requested by the AFL Players' Association.

While the club questions the legality of the investigation, Western Bulldogs president Peter Gordon says it would be appropriate for ASADA to withdraw its notices.

A lawyer by trade, Gordon queried whether players might have volunteered information under false pretences during the investigation.

"(The players) are the complete unwitting and innocent victims of what Ziggy Switkowski referred to as an experimental pharmacological environment," he said.

"Across the industry, there is enormous sympathy for the players."

While Thompson said the mental state of players had not affected his team selections, he did admit this week had been "a touch harder" to prepare than other rounds.

"In the end, you just don't want to become mentally exhausted out of the whole process which is our danger," he said.

Surprisingly, the most public event of their week has become the players' haven, with Thompson suggesting players saw their match day as a release.